NovelKeys NK Blueberry vs NovelKeys NK Cream
The NovelKeys NK Blueberry and the NovelKeys NK Cream are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. Our library of every switch we simulate cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | NovelKeys NK Blueberry | NovelKeys NK Cream |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 3 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
NovelKeys advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Start with feel: the NovelKeys NK Blueberry gives you a tactile stroke and the NovelKeys NK Cream a linear one, and no amount of tuning changes that. The NovelKeys NK Cream also actuates earlier, 2.0 mm of pre-travel against 3.0 mm, which fast players tend to notice. Weight separates them clearly: measured at bottom-out, the NovelKeys NK Blueberry is 10 g heavier than the NovelKeys NK Cream, which changes both fatigue and sound. Split by use: the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming, the NovelKeys NK Blueberry for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream
- Typing pick
- NovelKeys NK Blueberry
- Office pick
- NovelKeys NK Blueberry
Force curves
NovelKeys NK Blueberry
NovelKeys NK Cream
NovelKeys NK Blueberry or NovelKeys NK Cream: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. Feel splits them at the root: the NovelKeys NK Cream runs smooth the whole way down while the NovelKeys NK Blueberry raises a bump at the point it registers. Same depth, different trigger point: 2.0 mm on the NovelKeys NK Cream against 3.0 mm on the NovelKeys NK Blueberry, both inside 4.0 mm. The NovelKeys NK Blueberry carries the heavier spring at bottom-out, 80 g to 70 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. The NovelKeys NK Blueberry sits at deep heavy thud after a long wall of a bump; the NovelKeys NK Cream answers with unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On cost and convenience, both are premium priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
All three questions get different answers on this pair. Fast inputs: the NovelKeys NK Cream, because a linear stroke puts no bump between you and the next press. A long draft: the NovelKeys NK Blueberry, since the bump gives your fingers a landmark on every keystroke. A room with other people in it: the NovelKeys NK Blueberry, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the NovelKeys NK Blueberry page and the NovelKeys NK Cream page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the NovelKeys NK Blueberry or the NovelKeys NK Cream the better gaming switch?
We pick the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming. A linear stroke means nothing sits between one press and the next, and rapid inputs are where that pays.
NovelKeys NK Blueberry or NovelKeys NK Cream: which one is quieter?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
NovelKeys NK Blueberry vs NovelKeys NK Cream: which one is the heavier press?
The NovelKeys NK Blueberry. Both brands publish at bottom-out, which makes 80 g against 70 g an honest 10 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
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